The Foster Family

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Growing up in foster care has left Kerry Grey with little self-esteem or hope for his future. A college dropout, Kerry scrapes by on a part-time job at a garden nursery. His friendship with his boss and working with the plants are the only high points in Kerry’s life. He’s been dating the man who bullied him at school, but when his boyfriend abandons him at a party, Kerry wanders down the beach to drown his sorrows in a bottle of scotch.

Malcolm Holmes and Charlie Stone have been together for fifteen years. Despite Charlie's willingness to accept Malcolm's unspoken domination in bed,something is missing from their relationship. Early one morning, they rescue a passed out Kerry from being washed away by the tide and Charlie immediately senses a kindred spirit in the lost younger man. When Kerry’s roommate kicks him out, Malcolm and Charlie invite him into their home. As Charlie and Kerry bond over Charlie’s garden, Malcolm sees Kerry may be just who they have been looking for to complete their lives. All they have to do is show Kerry, and each other, that Kerry's submissive tendencies will fit their dynamic.

But someone is sabotaging Kerry at every turn. As he struggles to discover the culprit, he fears for the safety of his new friends. If Malcolm and Charlie cannot help, their lifelong search for their perfect third may not end with the happily ever after they imagined.

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This story turned out to be a lot more complex than I was expecting and it took me a while to sort through the dynamics of the main couple, Charlie and Malcom, together for 15 years, and what exactly each man thought Kerry could bring to the relationship. The men bring Kerry into the household without really setting out what his position in relation to them would be, and therein lies quite a bit of their problem. In addition, Kerry's presence brings to light problems Malcom and Charlie were overlooking in their own relationship.
Kerry is at an especially low point in his life and has a lot of baggage to sort through, but he is also able to recognize the difficulties Charlie and Malcom are having. The threesome really doesn't come together for quite some time, and if you are looking for a book full of hot sex, this one is not going to be for you. The men all have issues to work through personally before they can really get to the problems that the three of them as a unit might face.
There was a lot to the story and I would love to see more about the men moving forward as unit, especially since I was so intrigued by the dynamics of how that relationship will work.

Review of The Foster Family

By Andrea Minier on Apr 9, 2014 07:04

I wish I could tell you how good this book is but I dont have the words. Its the best book shes written so far and her portrayal of three flawed characters is perfect. This isnt a typical menage story and the focus is on healing themselves as individuals, then finding their comfort and roles in the relationship. Its beautiful.
There is one small thing Id have preferred to see handled differently. I wont go into it except to say that there were criminal activities that I thought would have more importance to the plot than they did and the outcome of those left me a little puzzled. When I finished the book, I wasnt sure why they were even in there to begin with. But I still loved this book!

Review of The Foster Family

By Christy Duke on Mar 6, 2014 07:03

'The Foster Family' was my first read by Jaime Samms. I have heard many good things about her writing and once I read the description I was eager to jump in. The length of the book was a little daunting, but since I somehow always end up reading and reviewing the long ones, I figured what the heck? I was struck immediately by the easy flow and ebb of the writing and it pulled me right into the story of Kerry, Malcolm, and Charlie.
Kerry is a sad, lonely guy who in his attraction and obsession with a childhood friend/high school bully has managed to fool himself for years that this guy really wanted him. Kerry messed up his education due to his obsession and now he's living hand to mouth, working part-time at a nursery having thrown away his opportunity at a botany degree. Malcolm and Charlie have been together for fifteen years when they find Kerry hungover and asleep on their beach. Malcolm knows what's going to happen before it even does and he's not sure he can handle another fixer-upper who ends up leaving them. Charlie has a tendency to find strays, they take them in, Malcolm and Charlie fix them (so to speak), and they're left alone when the young man leaves to find his forever love. Malcolm wants to be someone's forever love, he and Charlie both. There's something they need in their relationship, but Malcolm is afraid to believe it might be Kerry. But Charlie is convinced that Kerry is different and he just knows that this is the one to make Malcolm and him whole.
I was about a quarter of the way through this book when I realized why it was so long. This was no simple, cut and dried, story of two men in their thirties, one a Dom, the other a sub, who help a young man and bring him into their family. Nope. The author didn't take the easy road. She definitely took the road less traveled. Kerry is complicated and such a hurting and lost soul. He has allowed people to treat him like dirt his entire life while keeping them a safe distance from his heart. He has always been attracted to powerful men, but a huge part of him is terrified of being submissive. Charlie is content to sub for Malcolm, but Charlie's day job is as a personal assistant to a horrid woman and so, in his words, \"I want someone to indulge who I don't also have to obey.\" And, then there's Malcolm, the Dom, who shields his heart against being hurt and claiming he's only helping to make Charlie happy. Malcolm has a lot of his own issues and some of them he's never even talked to Charlie about and vice versa. After fifteen years together, there's still a lot these guys need to resolve.
This was not an easy read. There is a lot of angst, drama, and serious soul searching. There's anger and pain and fear and hope. It's Kerry's honesty that highlights the serious cracks in Malcolm and Charlie's relationship and Kerry knows he can't stay and be the putty. Malcolm and Charlie have to get their crap together before Kerry can be a part of their lives. It's painful, sad, heartbreaking, and sometimes I felt as if my very being was turned to stone from the emotions pouring from the pages. Not a one of these men turned out to be who I initially thought they were. No. They were even better. The story was very far from stereotypical and took me places I wasn't expecting to go.
This was a very intense story about family. At the heart of it all, family is who we make it and it sustains us through all the ups and the downs. My first introduction to Jaime Samms. But it won't be my last.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

Review of The Foster Family

By Tina Kulesa on Feb 22, 2014 10:02

Whoa. That was intense. And not really a happy shiny story.
It really was the story of three very broken men who hit rock bottom, shattered into jagged pieces, scattered, and worked their way towards wholeness again.
Extremely well written, deeply emotional and quite powerful.
However, it was not the kind of ménage I could fully get behind. Instead to three equal partners there was a hierarchy within the relationship I didn't like. Even within the dynamics of the D/s relationship you can still be equal partners and I didn't find that here. It disappointed me and kept this from being a truly enjoyable read for me. It was kinda difficult to get through.
But this in a personal preference based on the romantic and relationship dynamics I like to read about. Someone else may end up flying high after reading it but me, I'm just kinda exhausted and am gonna go read a Cameron Dane to soothe my heart. It's kinda broken right now.